August 27, 2005

Mixing Categories

Putting humans on display in a zoo has accomplished what it was supposed to: Get attention. And plenty of it in the media. The eight humans who are monkeying around in the London Zoo are all over print, broadcast, cable and the web.

This marketing strategy, which I've always called "Mixing Categories," (yeah, I'm way overeducated and can't help mixing the marketing hat with the academic one) is a winner. If executed flawlessly. Think "Who Framed Roger Rabbit." Producers of the movie didn't miss a beat mixing human with animated characters.

Of course, playing around with categories is nothing new. Shakespeare's plays mix tragedy with comic relief, royalty with peasants, human capacity for genius with the myopia that the bard calls "cankered in the grain."

What is new is how pervasive it's become. "Hustle & Flow," a box office and critical homerun, pulls together the old wholesome let's-put-on-a-show-to-save-Pop's store with a pimp and whores' struggle for the American Dream. Target mixes class with mass. Kraft Foods, BUSINESS WEEK reports in its September 5th issue, is mixing healthy with good mouth feel and great taste.

So, how can all of us apply this strategy to get the right kinds of attention? Here are some proven tactics:

Realize that not taking risks is the biggest risk in the current marketplace. Mary Minnick is the new hero at stodgy Coca-Cola because she has the emotional strength and insider status to push the organization to try fresh approaches and stop relying excessively on its (yesterday's) iconic status.

Be willing to, as Steve Jobs advised in his commencement speech at Stanford, to look foolish, in public and in the media. Ironically, former presidential candidate John Kerry came across as foolish because he tried too hard to preserve an image of dignity. On the other hand, New York US senator Hillary Clinton seems downright shameless about appearing ridiculous in order to move towards an identity which will work better, at least at the time.

Do immediate course correction. That's the trait of winners, says Harvard Business School professor Rosabeth Moss Kanter in her astounding book "Confidence." Of course, that requires the humility to admit we're wrong and the high energy to get the train back on the tracks. That's exactly what beleaguered Dell has to do now.

Don't get comfortable once success arrives. Keep conceiving of other ways to mix categories. The Death Valley of marketers is filled with those who enjoyed their hits a little too much. Think "Today," Disney, and maybe Starbucks down the line.

Takeaway: Just like politicians who have to fundraise 24/7, marketers have to keep reinventing our strategies in a timely manner and implement them painstakingly.